Time passes by every second.
The competition was originally scheduled to last four hours, but in the blink of an eye it was already the last hour.
There was an invisible "killing" going on on the leaderboard, with teams vying for the top 20 spots. It was like a stage, with teams taking turns to perform in a chaotic atmosphere. The list could not be finalized until the last moment.
Team A012 firmly occupies the top five positions.
Wei Lan watched quietly.
Light streamed through the skylight, and his glasses flickered. "This team... I remember it was the number one seed from Yuancheng High School?"
"Yes."
A teacher from the War College who had been temporarily assigned to organize the competition said quietly, "Judging from the speed at which they answered, they weren't fooled by the trick questions at all. They consistently chose the most cost-effective option."
"Yes," Wei Lan sighed, "They are indeed top students trained by Yuancheng University. At this rate, they can still speed up later, right?"
The teacher nodded.
By this time, most teams had already exhausted their physical strength and energy. Even though it was just a question-answering competition, this high-speed thinking also consumed their mental energy. The final hour was not only a test of knowledge, but also a test of endurance.
Sure enough, as time went by, some of the teams at the top of the list gradually began to drop in ranking.
Instructor Dong stood by and shook his head repeatedly, "This won't do. This won't do. You can't even manage your energy. What a fool! If you put him on the battlefield and can't make it to the last kilometer, all your previous efforts will be wasted!"
The teacher whispered, "That's pretty good. The questions this time were incredibly difficult, with many of them being tricky. It's been really hard for the kids."
"Besides..." He nodded at the bottom of the leaderboard, "After all, they're still better than the ones behind them."
Unlike the fierce competition at the top of the rankings, there is a dead silence below the rankings.
The scores of these teams were like a stagnant pool of water, frozen and motionless. If it weren't for the bright team logos flashing in front of them, one would almost think that they had been eliminated early.
Instructor Dong smacked his lips, prodding his finger at the ranking list. "No, no, these are even worse. Look at them, they're clearly still struggling with those trick questions. They don't even have the foresight to do this. Do you expect them to go into battle and kill bugs?"
"Hurry up and forget it. It's good enough if this guy who delays the fighter plane doesn't drag down others."
He clearly had a short temper, his temper flaring as he spoke. He complained repeatedly, "Hey, could you please kick these idiots out? This large-scale online simulation isn't cheap; every second costs federal currency, okay?"
"Save some resources and upgrade the soldiers' nutrient solution."
"Don't worry, don't worry," Wei Lan said with a wry smile. "At least give them a chance. They've learned their lesson this time and will be more careful next time. By the way, Xiao Jiang, how are the reviews going over there?"
“Hmm…”
Jiang Yuanliang buried his head in front of the terminal screen and muttered irritably, "Professor, this is totally unacceptable. What a mess this is!"
Because the mind-powered mecha is a new thing, the theoretical basis for it has not yet been perfected, and there is naturally no reference answer in the question bank.
Since AI was unable to review the papers, Jiang Yuanliang had to manually grade them. After several hours, the young man was so tired that his brain was almost a mess.
The most important thing is that Jiang Yuanliang could clearly feel that these answers were just nonsense made up by students who knew nothing about the questions.
So annoying!
If you don't know, just say so directly. Why make up something?
Waste of his time.
Jiang Yuanliang looked at the pile of answers that were thousands of words long and felt overwhelmed. For the first time, he deeply felt what it meant to "read your words as if you were reading a conversation" - what's the point of picking out a few key words from the question and explaining them over and over again, repeating the same things over and over again?
Do you really think examiners are fools?
He unceremoniously gave one answer a zero and quickly clicked on the next. But after just a quick glance, he clutched his hand to his forehead in pain. "... Professor, look at this! It says there's a valve in the human body. Once you open it, you can control anything from mental power to mechas... What the hell is this? Are you too deeply influenced by the soul hypothesis?"
After hearing this, Wei Lan frowned unhappily.
As for the three major hypotheses of mental power, he undoubtedly belongs to the "particle flow" school. Hearing the word "soul science" is like hearing heresy.
Professor Wei waved his hand dismissively: "Zero points, zero points. Give him zero points."
As he spoke, he took off his glasses tiredly, wiped them on the hem of his shirt a few times, and sighed in his heart.
For him, this exam was indeed a meaningless and waste of time.
…
Room A1056.
Time flew by, beads of sweat oozed out of Tan Yao's forehead, and a few traces of blood appeared in his eye sockets.
He had been tinkering with the mecha model for over an hour using the various instruments displayed in the simulation cabin.
Zhou Qing could still help a little with the part involving the coolant and circulation system, but Weng Wei and Han Tianming were completely helpless with this thing and could only awkwardly pass tools and lend a hand.
Gu Qiongsheng was also vaguely anxious.
But apart from feeding Tan Yao a few times to keep him energetic and strong, she couldn't help much.
The original owner's memory only contained textbook knowledge, but what was presented to them at this moment was undoubtedly a difficult problem that far exceeded textbook knowledge. It was only because Tan Yao was knowledgeable and had his own set of tricks in the actual operation of mechas that he could barely operate the knife on the model.
After a few minutes, Tan Yao wiped the sweat off his face in frustration and straightened his stiff back.
"It still doesn't work."
He was somewhat dejected, his red hair wet with sweat, drooping weakly. "With my ability, it would take a long time just to understand the logic behind this thing's development. The questions asked are extremely difficult, so I'm afraid..."
Tan Yao gritted his teeth.
He felt extremely uncomfortable, as if a group of small insects were gnawing at him, making him feel sore and painful.
His strong character made it difficult for him to say the words "I can't do it", especially when his teammates looked at him with expectant eyes. The hope of the entire team to advance seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders, heavier than a thousand pounds.
But reality dealt him another blow - the more he delved into the problem, the more clearly Tan Yao realized that he would not be able to solve this problem in a short period of time.
He was helpless and raised his hands anxiously, pulling his hair fiercely, as if hoping that the pain would make his brain clearer and more flexible.
After pulling a few times, Tan Yao's hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Don't be like that," Gu Qiongsheng said in a relaxed voice. "It's not your fault. I heard that the Federation has mobilized all the top laboratories to develop this thing for many years."
"Besides, even if we don't take this question too seriously, our answering speed is still slow, so there's no hope of advancing in the first place. Now we're just returning to the normal path, it's all the same."
The girl's fingers were long and delicate, her fingertips were cool but her palms were warm.
Tan Yao was stunned for a moment, then he quickly dodged as if he was on fire, and covered his right wrist with his left hand where Gu Qiongsheng had just grabbed it: "Well... I actually..."
Gu Qiongsheng didn't notice the boy's sudden embarrassment.
She said it lightly, but she had no intention of giving up in her heart.
But what else can we do?
Think about it, think about it carefully...
...That's right!
She has skills!
If my guess was correct, her skills allowed her to repair the mecha before her. While she couldn't provide parts or devices that didn't exist, if there were problems with the existing structure, perhaps she could find them?
This is a bug-like method that skips the process and gets the result directly.
Gu Qiongsheng hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the countdown clock running out, she gathered herself and whispered to Tan Yao, "If, I mean if."
"I can assemble this model into the most suitable state for mental power drive at present."
"Can you dismantle the finished product to infer the corrections and improvements involved?"
Tan Yao, who was covering his arm with his ears red, said: "......?"
What the hell?
…
"Holy Light, illuminate the darkness!"
As Gu Qiongsheng silently recited the skill lines, a white light invisible to others lit up in the room.
The mecha in the center of the room seemed to come alive, rapidly transforming under the white light. The raised shell smoothed out, the scattered connecting wires were arranged into a regular pattern, and the exposed plugs were like diligent worker bees, automatically searching for their targets.
A more sophisticated and complete mecha model was quietly presented in front of everyone's shocked gazes.
Tan Yao stared at him intently, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets.
How, how is this possible?
It completely overturned the mechanical knowledge he had accumulated over more than ten years!
Those messy threads that left him clueless and helpless were straightened out as if by hair straighteners in Gu Qiongsheng's hands in just one minute, becoming as neat as could be.
The same goes for the interior of the mecha. When it was opened just now, it was a rough hollow interior, but now it looks like a fine work of art.
Although this work of art is still a work in progress, anyone with a discerning eye can see the difference between the before and after – compared to the mecha model in the center of the room, the previous one looked like a castle built by a child with mud on the beach, while now, the smooth and graceful lines, the neatly combed wires, the cooling circulation connecting pipes connecting the upper and lower parts… It is simply a magnificent castle that is still under renovation!
"What the hell..." Tan Yao was so shocked that he stuttered, "What the hell is this!"
It is no exaggeration to say that it is a miracle!
He turned his head suddenly and stared at Gu Qiongsheng: "How did you do it?"
"That's how you repaired the screen in the classroom, right?"
"……cough."
Gu Qiongsheng blinked, feeling a little uncomfortable under the boy's fiery gaze.
Fortunately, she had already thought of an excuse in advance, and her tone was light and cheerful: "This is my spiritual power trait. I can repair some small things."
"Traits?"
Han Tianming and the others' voices, dry and shocked, came from the back of the room, floating: "But Captain, isn't your mental power's characteristic healing?"
"Well, that's true too." Gu Qiongsheng smiled shyly. "My mental power might be more complex. Perhaps it's elemental reorganization? I haven't figured it out completely. Anyway, besides healing, I only recently discovered this repair function."
——The mental power trait is really a good thing. It can push all the black technologies of the system forward.
Anyway, humans haven't fully understood the nature of mental power yet, so she can say whatever she wants.
After listening to Gu Qiongsheng's explanation (nonsense), the other team members looked at him in disbelief.
This is outrageous, it doesn't make sense at all. I've never heard of anyone's mental power having this characteristic.
Previously, the number of special types like Han Tianming was already very rare. As long as the level of mental power was acceptable, they would definitely be the focus of training by the Federation.
But now, Han Tianming looked at the nearly perfect mecha model in the room, and recalled the wonderful feeling of being cared for by Gu Qiongsheng's healing skills during training. He suddenly felt that his mental strength was like a humble minion, and was not up to standard at all.
With a sad face, she ran over and hugged Gu Qiongsheng's arm: "Captain, you are so awesome! From today on, I am your little fan girl... No, I have been your little fan girl for a long time. If you become rich, please don't forget me!"
Gu Qiongsheng was so shocked by her shaking that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "But my skills... my characteristics also have limitations. If there are missing parts, I can't replace them. The most I can do is repair the existing parts..."
Tan Yao suddenly said, "That's enough."
The deep voice was resounding, and the boy's eyes were blazing, as if there was fire burning in them.
After regaining his confidence, Tan Yao's eyes were so bright that even his red hair couldn't hide it.
Although he couldn't understand the logic behind Gu Qiongsheng's mental maintenance, Tan Yao knew that this was definitely a powerful trait that mecha enthusiasts dreamed of. The most important thing was that it would play a decisive role in turning the tide for them.
"Leave it to me from now on."
The models of the correct answers were already in front of him.
If he can't even answer the question like this, how can he still have the nerve to say that he is good at mechanics?
…
The competition is gradually coming to an end.
In the AI simulation hall, the number of strange answers Jiang Yuanliang received gradually decreased.
After all, at this point, the students had already written down everything they could, and there was no point in worrying about what they didn’t know. The teams submitted their answers one after another, trying to make a final sprint.
The competition at the front of the list is still fierce. The top 10 has basically been fixed, and the gap between them and the 10th to 20th places is gradually widening.
The competition for the top 10-20 is still fierce.
Looking at the list that was jumping up and down, Wei Lan could imagine the students rubbing their swollen and painful temples, enduring the pain of mental exhaustion, and trying hard to fight for even a little bit of points.
He felt a little emotional and a little relieved.
Although he was still dissatisfied with wasting half a day's time, Wei Lan also deeply realized one thing - these children in front of him are the future of the Federation.
An upbeat, progressive, and vibrant future.
Wei Lan turned around and asked the burly Instructor Dong standing beside him, "You'll be the chief examiner for the next stage. With so many teams, even if we only take the top 1%, that's nearly a hundred teams and five hundred students, right?"
"With so many people, it gives me a headache just thinking about it... Do you have any good methods to quickly identify their potential?"
Instructor Dong stood at the foot of the wall, grinning at him. "Next stage? Sorry, it's confidential right now. I can't tell you!"
"But I already have an idea of the process. I guarantee it will be a very exciting and suspenseful competition. It can definitely serve as a textbook example for inter-school leagues in the next few years, hahahaha!"
Wei Lan: “…”
"Okay," Wei Lan held his forehead, "Instructor Dong, as long as you have confidence."
"Of course," Instructor Dong gave himself a thumbs-up. "Don't you still believe me?"
That's true.
Wei Lan adjusted his glasses and calmly looked at the burly man in front of him - the chief instructor of the First War College, who had taught hundreds of elites from the three legions. If he could restrain his nonchalant attitude, he could instantly transform into a devil from the eighteen levels of hell. He was a terrifying existence that all the students of the War College hated and loved.
The second round of competition this guy designed would probably make these fledglings scream with fear...
Thinking of this, Wei Lan smiled and shook his head.
But these have nothing to do with him anymore.
After the first competition, his duties as the chief examiner of this round came to an end, and he could return to the laboratory to tinker with mechas in peace and quiet.
Wei Lan's heart was burning with excitement when he thought of the unfinished mecha model in his simulator.
He is also an avid mecha enthusiast who has devoted his entire life to related research projects. Even now, at his age, he is still alone. For Wei Lan, the mecha is his wife and the laboratory is his home.
Well, I really want to go home and hug my wife...
Wei Lan stood in front of the French window, staring at the blue sky for a while.
At this moment, an intelligent voice suddenly came to mind in the AI control room:
[Attention, examiners! The first round of competition is about to end. One minute left: 60, 59, 58...]
The eyes of several people in the room lit up.
Jiang Yuanliang was so excited that he almost burst into tears.
"It's finally over!"
Alas, he no longer has to endure the rubbish answers made up by students, and no longer has to patiently review them one by one and dig out the few so-called "bright spots".
However, as the deadline approached, some answers were still hastily submitted.
Jiang Yuanliang patiently clicked it and said to himself: The last three, these are the last three.
He happily gave two zeros, then with great joy, he clicked on the last one. He glanced at it casually, and just as he was about to write "0" out of habit, his hand suddenly paused.
"Hmm?" he muttered. "This answer..."
"……Um???"
“…What the hell?”
…
A minute passed quickly.
Under the control of intelligent AI, the timing was accurate to microseconds. All the answers were submitted in an instant, and the scores of each team were completely frozen.
The rankings on the leaderboard no longer change, and the team numbers are clearly arranged from top to bottom.
[Beep! The competition is over. Please leave the simulation chamber in an orderly manner. If you feel unwell, please seek help from the medical staff on each floor...]
The crisp electronic sound resounded throughout the entire building, and Wei Lan and others in the AI control room also breathed a sigh of relief.
Instructor Dong smiled and said, "Very good. Although there were some minor incidents, at least there was no major chaos."
Wei Lan nodded.
He immediately turned around and said to the organization teacher next to him, "Now that the list has been finalized, please inform us as soon as possible. Also, remember to compile a copy and send it to the deans of each military academy..."
The teacher's expression was very strange. He stared at the AI operating system and said in a strange voice, "But Professor Wei, the final results are not out yet."
"The system shows that because there is still a subjective question that has not been scored, the final list of advancing teams cannot be issued."
"No score?" Wei Lan frowned. "Xiao Jiang, what are you dawdling about?"
"Hurry up, the dean and the others are waiting to see the list!"
In front of the light screen not far away, Jiang Yuanliang stood up hurriedly.
His expression became even stranger, and his face turned pale, as if he had just swallowed a crab alive. He stammered, "Professor, this answer... I..."
The young man's eyes wandered, sweat oozed from his forehead, and he gritted his teeth: "I can't approve it..."
He couldn't understand this answer?
After all, Jiang Yuanliang was a researcher at the War College and a direct disciple of Wei Lan. He considered himself knowledgeable. If he just couldn't understand the student's nonsense, he should have been able to detect the clues - but the answer in front of him was not like that.
This answer is unique and imaginative, and it can be said to be a wild imagination, but every sentence is correct, and the internal logic of the deduction is circular and self-consistent.
Most importantly, it actually comes with a complete mecha model?
The model included in the answer looked obviously much more advanced than what he and his teacher had worked out day and night in the research institute and spent several years to come up with.
Jiang Yuanliang was dumbfounded, and his brain felt like it was about to stop working.
The answer to this question far exceeded his expectations. He didn't even understand the logic behind many parts of the question. How could he give a score?
On the other side, Wei Lan also found Jiang Yuanliang's appearance very strange.
Jiang Yuanliang was his student, and Wei Lan knew very well what his abilities and level were.
It's just to deal with some childish scribbled answers, right?
"Are you too tired lately?"
Is the pressure too great?
...Yes, that’s right.
The federal war was tense, and their project team had been working non-stop for over a month. If it weren't for the nutrient solution, many people in the team would have collapsed long ago.
Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Lan strode towards the young man. Facing the young man's strange look of wanting to speak but not wanting to, he pushed up his black-framed glasses and said, "Forget it. Go and rest. I'll check this question."
The man stood in front of the screen filled with answers, squinting slightly and quickly scanning: "Hmm... this answer..."
As he watched, his brows knitted unconsciously, his gaze gradually slowed down, and his expression gradually became serious: "...Hmm?"
"Uh-huh???"
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